


Reality Check

by Zetal (Rodinia)



Series: Soulmate Dreams [2]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Innuendo, M/M, Press Behaving Badly, Soulmate AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-20
Updated: 2017-04-08
Packaged: 2018-10-08 11:15:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 17,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10385457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rodinia/pseuds/Zetal
Summary: After discovering he's Viktor Nikiforov's soulmate, Yuuri's life changed in a lot of ways.  Yuuri's been invited to train with Yakov Feltsman, despite Yakov's doubts that the fit is right, which means moving to Russia.  Yuuri has to learn to deal with a lot of things.Sequel toDream Connection.





	1. Chapter 1

Until last New Year’s, Yuuri hadn’t really thought much about soulmates. They were a thing, he’d find out who his was when he was eighteen unless they came to find him earlier, nothing he could do would affect who his soulmate was, and after watching his sister deal with her soulmate Yuuri wasn’t too sure he wanted to know. Mari’s soulmate probably wasn’t a bad person, but he was constantly in trouble, and Mari had decided to get out before she got caught up herself. When Yuuri did think about it, he thought of his best friend Yuuko. She was nice, she was pretty, she skated too, he was comfortable with her, and the chances of her getting him arrested were low.

Then, of all people, Viktor Nikiforov had showed up to tell him he was his soulmate. Once Yuuri got through the initial disbelief and fear, it had turned out to be both wonderful and horrible. Wonderful in that Viktor seemed to genuinely care about him, wanted to support him in his skating career, even going so far as to convince his coach to take Yuuri on as well, and, well, it was Viktor Nikiforov. The guy Yuuri had been crushing on for two years.

The horrible parts: the media. Yuuri had only just started getting noticed on his own when suddenly he was thrust up to a much higher level of notoriety. A lot of people hated him, accusing him of using Viktor for his fame. He and Viktor had laughed hard at an article that came out shortly after the European championships, “proving” that Yuuri had managed to somehow fake Viktor’s dream and had stolen Viktor from his true soulmate, who would be heartbroken when she had her dream. It was ridiculous, of course, but it was also a reminder to Yuuri that a lot of people hated him.

Also horrible was the separation. Viktor lived in Russia, Yuuri lived in Japan. He was moving to Russia after Worlds, but even though they talked twice a day and texted any time they could, Yuuri missed Viktor. It was stupid. He and Viktor had only been together for two weeks. How could Yuuri have gotten so accustomed to Viktor’s enthusiasm and presence?

Thankfully, he’d just finished his last day of school. He’d done passably on his exams, despite the horribleness of school. Viktor’s support hadn’t managed to convince his classmates that he wasn’t a fat pig or a loser, although talking to Viktor right after school had always helped soothe the sting. Now it was just skating, packing, and waiting – and, of course, watching Worlds.

Viktor’s experience hadn’t been much better, from what Yuuri heard from Viktor and Yakov. He was skating fine, working hard, spending time making plans for what to do with their free time once Yuuri arrived in St. Petersburg (Yuuri was, frankly, alarmed by some of them – he appreciated Viktor’s enthusiasm to show off the city, but renting a plane for an aerial tour? That seemed a little over-the-top). Once he hung up so Yuuri could go to sleep, Viktor didn’t do much of anything. Ate what his nutritionist said to for dinner, walked Makkachin, planned adventures, and went to bed. His rinkmates tried to drag him out and occasionally managed, but even then, he was subdued.

The day before the World Championships started, Minako came to check on Yuuri’s progress in packing. They’d be leaving for Russia the next week, so that Yuuri could start skating with Yakov April 1st. When she was satisfied that Yuuri was making adequate progress, she handed him an envelope. “Viktor sent you a present, and I’ve checked with your parents. They say it’s okay to accept it.”

Yuuri opened the envelope, hands shaking a little. He was a little confused as he pulled out the papers, and then he screamed. There were plane tickets, hotel reservations, but the big one… Viktor had gotten him tickets to the Worlds, which were being held in Tokyo that year. “Mom and Dad say I can go?”

“As long as I go with you. You won’t just be going to see Viktor again, though. You’ll have work of your own to do. Yakov intends to introduce you to some potential sponsors.”

Yuuri stammered out thanks. No wonder Viktor had seemed so odd the last time they'd talked, when he reminded Yuuri that he’d be out of contact for travel and Yuuri had said he wished he could go. Yuuri would see Viktor tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah, this was supposed to start with Yuuri going to Russia, but then I looked up where the 2007 Worlds were so I could figure out time differences, and... they were in Tokyo. So we're getting a couple chapters of Worlds, because you will never convince me that Viktor Extra Nikiforov would have gone to Worlds and not found a way to get Yuuri there when he was so close.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri makes it to Tokyo and makes a new friend.

Viktor’s flight arrived shortly before Yuuri’s, and somehow, Viktor convinced Yakov and his rinkmates to hang around the airport until Yuuri arrived. Yuuri barely got a moment’s warning when a silver blur nearly tackled him in an enthusiastic hug. “Yuuri!”

“Oof! Hi, Viktor.” Yuuri wrapped his arms around Viktor. “Thank you. Minako said me being here was your doing.”

“Yes! I’d been thinking about trying to figure out a way for you to come anyway, but when I looked up where it was this year and realized it was in Japan… it’s perfect!”

“Yeah. It is.” Yuuri broke away from Viktor with a smile.

As soon as he’d gotten his bag, Viktor took Yuuri over to meet the others. “Okay, you know Yakov, obviously.”

“Hello, Yakov. Thank you for allowing Viktor to bring me along.”

Yakov nodded. “When Viktor gets an idea stuck in his head, there’s no getting it out. At least this time it was a good one.”

“All my ideas are good!” Viktor said, putting a hand to his heart. Yakov shook his head at Yuuri, who just rolled his eyes. Viktor chose to ignore the exchange, instead introducing Yuuri to various rinkmates. Yuuri struggled to keep up with names.

Introductions made, they headed for the hotel. Yuuri was assigned to share a room with Kirill Ilyasov, an ice dancer. As soon as they got to the room, Kirill stopped Yuuri from getting too comfortable. “Yakov and the other coaches won’t care if you switch with Misha. You being here is all on the idiots at the ISU who aren’t convinced that you and Viktor are soulmates.”

“Won’t they check?”

“They’ll check the paperwork. Trust me, no one does bed checks because no one wants to know what the skaters are getting up to.”

A knock on the door brought Misha and Viktor, who backed up Kirill. Yuuri agreed, going with Viktor. He had just finished settling in when Viktor grabbed his hand. “Have you ever been to Tokyo, Yuuri?”

“Once, but I didn’t get to do much. I was here for a skating competition and I was so nervous that even if Minako had let me do much beyond skating and schoolwork, I wouldn’t have. Why?”

“Come on! Let’s go exploring!” Viktor pulled Yuuri with him. “Find something for dinner.”

Yuuri texted Minako, who told him to be careful and watch out for reporters. He and Viktor explored together and found a restaurant that looked good. When they went in, Viktor broke into a grin. “Chris!”

A boy with blond curls looked up at the shout, and he smiled too as he invited them to sit with him. “Viktor! You remembered me!”

“Of course! Are you moving up next year?”

“No, my coach thinks I need another year in Juniors. It’s a shame, I was hoping to compete against you next year.”

“That’s sad, I was hoping the same thing. But you’ll get to compete against Yuuri! Have the two of you met?”

Chris looked critically at Yuuri. “I don’t think so… I’ve heard of you, of course. Any fan of Viktor has.”

“I haven’t skated outside of Japan yet. Next season I will.” Chris… the name was vaguely familiar, but Yuuri couldn’t figure out where from. “Please don’t believe what you read on the Internet about me. Most of it is wrong.”

“You mean you’re not really a robot built in a secret lab? I liked that one.” Chris pouted a little. “My coach says you’re going to be someone to watch out for, and if you’re really going to be training with Viktor, I can see why.”

Yuuri let Chris and Viktor carry most of the conversation, talking about various competitions and other skaters they both knew. “Did you hear the rumors about that American ice dancer?”

Viktor nodded. “I’ve heard, but given the rumors about me, I’m inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt.”

“What are they saying?” Yuuri asked.

“His soulmate’s missing, and the rumors are that he did something to her because he’s in love with his partner.”

Yuuri winced sympathetically. “Did you see the one where I drugged you while you were in Japan, and that’s why you hadn’t been going out the past few months?”

Chris laughed. “I did! I thought it was funny.”

“Have you met your soulmate yet, Chris?” Viktor asked.

“Not awake, but I only just turned sixteen. Plenty of time for him to come find me, if he’s older.”

Yuuri’s phone went off. “Minako wants me back at the hotel. She’s worried about me being out too late.”

Chris took Yuuri’s phone and texted himself. “Stay in contact!”

“Sure!” Viktor took Yuuri’s phone to get the number. “It was good to see you, Chris.”

On the way back to the hotel, Yuuri asked. “How do you know Chris?”

“I met him at Europeans in January. I told you about him, remember? The Swiss skater I thought might be among your toughest competitors next season?”

“Right! No wonder the name was familiar.”

Yuuri texted Minako as soon as they were back at the hotel, and then Mari and Yuuko to let them know he’d gotten to Tokyo all right and all was well. Once in bed, he slept better than he had in months.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chris and Viktor's friendship is a thing of beauty and I was not going to leave it out.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New day, new rumors.

Yuuri spent most of the next morning meeting with potential sponsors while Viktor had practice. Meetings ranged from the sponsors had no intention of actually helping Yuuri but just wanted to meet the infamous boy to sponsors who were determined to work out a deal. By lunch, Yuuri had one deal agreed to and others where the interest was there but they needed to hammer out details.

At lunch, Yuuri went out with Viktor and Misha. When they got back to the hotel, they were met by a reporter that Yuuri recognized from watching skating, Yadama Shirai. “Yuuri, do you have a moment?”

Viktor nodded, so Yuuri summoned his courage. “Yes. How can I help you?”

Yadama took Yuuri aside. “There’s a new rumor going out about you. I thought you might want to hear it in person before you read it.” He glanced over at Viktor.

“What is it?”

“There was a post on MySpace, claiming that Viktor made you switch rooms with Misha so that he had access to you.”

“Access?”

“Not for talking.” Yuuri still had no idea, and Yadama bit his lip. “They’re saying the two of you aren’t just hugging.”

It took a minute, but Yuuri finally figured it out. “Oh. That’s started. Viktor thought we might have a couple years, but I guess not. Thanks for letting me know.” He turned to go back to Viktor, but then he realized something. “They’re saying Viktor made me? They’re actually going after Viktor on this?”

“That’s what the MySpace post said. Whether the gossip sites will keep that or spin it, I don’t know yet.”

“Huh.”

“Yuuri.” Yuuri turned fully back. Yadama looked concerned. “I’ll get an official statement from you once you’ve talking things over with your coaches and decided how to handle things, but off the record… is Viktor doing anything he shouldn’t?”

“No. Viktor has been perfect.”

“Glad to hear that.”

“What was that about?” Misha asked when Yuuri came back. “Curious how your meetings went?”

“No…” Yuuri reached out and took Viktor’s hand. “Someone started a rumor about the room switch and Yadama wanted me to hear it quietly.”

Viktor groaned. “Already? We should tell Yakov.”

 

Yakov took it surprisingly well. “This is what the ISU was afraid of. For now, act normally, don’t say anything about this unless you’re directly asked – this means you, Vitya. If you’re asked, say something along the lines of Viktor is behaving himself and that I look out for my skaters, even if they’re not officially mine yet.”

Yuuri gave Yadama that as an official statement to run if he thought it was blowing up. Viktor and Yuuri met up with Kirill and his partner Katya, Misha, and Chris for dinner. Viktor told them about the new rumors, and Misha shook his head. “If it blows up too bad, I’ll tell them it was my idea. Which it was, Yuuri, just in case you had any doubts about there being any truth to the rumors about Vitya’s intentions.”

“I trust Viktor.”

Katya laughed. “You two have been talking for months, and he’s still calling you Viktor?”

Yuuri’s brow wrinkled. “What am I supposed to be calling him?”

“Pridurok comes to mind,” Misha suggested. He ducked Viktor’s kick. “Most of us at the rink end up calling him that sooner or later.”

“Don’t call me that. It means roughly the same thing as baka.”

Misha chuckled. “Why is that one of the Japanese words he’s taught you, hmm, Vitya?”

“His sister taught me that one.” Viktor wrapped an arm around Yuuri. “In Russia, it’s unusual for close friends to call each other by their full name. Even more unusual for soulmates. People would expect you to call me Vitya or Viten’ka.”

“Oh! Like you’d be expected to call me Yuuri-kun or Yuuri-chan in Japan.” Viktor nodded, and Yuuri grinned at him. “I’m not calling you Vicchan.”

“I would hope not. That’s your dog!”

“Your dog shares a name with Viktor?” Kirill interrupted.

Yuuri blushed. “I named my dog after Viktor. I got my dog because I wanted to be like Viktor.”

 

The short program the next day kept Yuuri’s mind off of the rumors. Viktor’s routine in particular was mesmerizing, and he ended the day in 3rd. Viktor had originally planned to include Yuuri in the interviews, but he and Yuuri agreed that it was probably better for Yuuri to stay out of it.

“There are some rumors going around about your soulmate.” Viktor tensed up, and Yakov put a hand on his shoulder. “Is it true that he’ll be coming to St. Petersburg after this?”

Yakov took the question. “He’ll be joining my rink April 1st. No, this is not one of those ridiculous April Fools’ pranks. It was a good time both for us and for him.”

The reporters exploded, and once that was settled down, Viktor ended the interview. “I thought we weren’t making an official announcement about that,” Yuuri said to Yakov once the reporters were out of sight.

“If they have a real story to run, they’re less likely to run gossip. Especially since the source is gone.”

Sure enough, the only thing Yuuri could find on himself or Viktor the next day was the announcement that Yuuri was training under Coach Yakov. By the time that blew over, people would have forgotten the scandal. Viktor was unusually focused as he prepared for his free skate, and he set a personal best with it. It was good enough for him to win silver, beaten by Cao Bin of China by only a few points.

For the exhibition, Viktor skated to “Never Let You Go,” the Russian entry into Eurovision the previous year. It was not like Viktor’s usual choices, which Misha explained. “Did Vitya tell you about our freestyle game?”

“Viktor made me do one.”

“We’ve all skated to this… we usually do after Eurovision. Vitya liked it so much he decided to use it for his exhibition. You know Vitya, the less likely someone is to expect what he does, the better.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanted to have Morooka be the reporter friend, but at this point, he's like 17. Stupid chronology anyway.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Russia! Yuuri meets a couple more people and has a fanboy moment.

Yuuri had thought Viktor would return to Russia with the rest of the team, but instead, Viktor came with him and Minako to Hasetsu to help Yuuri finish preparing for his move. Also to eat another bowl of katsudon, but mostly to help Yuuri.

Yakov met them at the airport in St. Petersburg with Makkachin. Viktor and Yuuri watched as Makkachin and Vicchan sniffed at each other. “This is good. They like each other!” Viktor said when the two dogs were done. “Very important if things work out.”

During the trial period, Yuuri and Vicchan would be living with Minako and a friend of hers. Yakov seemed unusually nervous as he drove them to a large house with an elegant yard. A very intimidating-looking woman came out as he shut down the car. Minako got out and went to embrace her. “Yuuri, this is our host, Lilia Baranovskaya, former prima ballerina of the Bolshoy Ballet.”

Lilia looked Yuuri over, examining his teeth. “No cavities. Good. Come inside, all of you. I’ll show you where to put your things.”

Yuuri wasn’t given much time to settle in before Lilia took him and Viktor to the studio. “Viktor, are you joining us or standing around watching?”

“You told me when I was twelve that I was hopelessly inflexible.”

Lilia crossed her arms. “That doesn’t answer my question.”

Viktor gave her a brilliant smile. “If you don’t think I’d be wasting your time, I’ll join you. It’s just that I know you’re here for Yuuri, not me, and I don’t want to be a distraction.”

“As you said, you’re hopelessly inflexible. That doesn’t mean you can’t improve yourself within your limits.”

Viktor decided to join them. Lilia ran Yuuri through the basics, nodding approvingly at Yuuri’s abilities. “Minako has taught you well. You have talent and it’s not completely wasted.”

“Thank you.” Yuuri noticed the look of disbelief on Viktor’s face. “What?”

“That almost sounded like praise. I have never heard Lilia praise any skater.”

“Yuuri’s not a typical skater,” Lilia said. “Most of you are so focused on your scores that you forget that skating is first and foremost a performance. Strength is nothing without beauty.”

“So you’ll teach him?” Yakov said.

“Yes. If there are any other students you think would benefit, send them to me and I’ll do what I can with them. Don’t mistake me, Yakov. This is a professional relationship only.”

“Of course. If you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to the rink. I have another new skater starting soon, and she’s coming to get familiar with the place.”

Lilia pursed her lips. “Should Yuuri go with you?”

“It couldn’t hurt. He hasn’t been there yet.”

“Very well. Go ahead, Yuuri. We’ll figure out a schedule for you tomorrow.”

 

Yuuri couldn’t contain the inner fanboy as they approached the rink. This was where Viktor had trained for years. It was so hard to believe that he was here, that he would be on the ice with them. It was one thing, skating with Viktor in Hasetsu back in January, but skating in Viktor’s rink was something he hadn’t ever really believed would happen, even after Yakov agreed to bring him in.

“Everyone’s off right now, taking a well-deserved break after World’s,” Viktor said as they went inside. “Most of them will be back by the time you start, but Misha ran off to Australia with his girlfriend and won’t be back for a few weeks.”

“Ran off?” Why would he just leave? He hadn't shown any signs of wanting to retire, and he wasn't injured...

Viktor realized Yuuri's confusion and reassured him. “Not literally. Pretty much everyone who’s of age to go off on their own does at some point between now and the end of June.”

“Are you going somewhere?”

Viktor shook his head. “I’d been thinking about it, but now I’m not sure. Too much innuendo if I take you with me, too far away from you if I don’t.”

Well, now Yuuri felt bad. “Sorry!”

“Don’t be! The world will still be there in a few years!” Viktor’s brilliant smile was genuine, but it didn’t really make Yuuri feel any better about ruining Viktor’s vacation.

They were met by a red-haired woman and her equally red-haired daughter. The girl was bouncing with excitement, which intensified when she spotted Yakov. “Hi!”

“Hello, Mila. We’ll be joined today by two of your rinkmates. Katsuki Yuuri is new too. Viktor Nikiforov has been here since he was younger than you. Yuuri, Vitya, this is Mila Babicheva.”

“Hello, Mila!” Viktor waved. “Are you excited?”

“Yes!”

“Good! So am I!”

Yakov shook his head. “Come along. Let me show you where everything is.” He took them around the rink, showing them the changing rooms, medical room, off-ice training areas – “You’ll be going to Lilia’s for ballet, but this is useful for stretching or practicing choreography or conditioning” – and finally to the ice. Yuuri and Mila looked at each other and they both started squeeing at the thought of getting to skate here. Yakov gave a long, resigned sigh. “Get it out of your systems. You’re starting April 1st, and you will both need to be over this enough to focus.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Mila!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri's first day.

Theoretically, Viktor was still living with Yakov. He’d told Yuuri he moved in with Yakov after his parents’ deaths, and he’d planned to get his own place when he turned eighteen unless he had good reasons not to. Yuuri obviously couldn’t move in with just Viktor, not yet, so Viktor decided to stay where he was until then.

In practice, Viktor barely went home anymore. Helping Yuuri unpack and settle in took up most of the days between Yuuri’s arrival and starting skating. The only thing Lilia or Minako ever said about Viktor sleeping on the floor in Yuuri’s room was that there was a guest room he was welcome to use, if he’d prefer. Makkachin and Vicchan quickly became friends. One time when Viktor and Yuuri took them for a walk together, three different people stopped to pet them and asked if Vicchan was Makkachin’s puppy.

When Yuuri went to bed on March 31st, he couldn’t get to sleep. Viktor had gone home, taking Makkachin, leaving Yuuri alone with his thoughts. Vicchan helped, cuddling up against Yuuri’s chest, but he couldn’t stop the fears. Could he do this? Could he deal with the lack of quiet at the rink, the increased presence of reporters, being so far away from his usual support system?

Lilia walked him to the rink the next morning. Before they took the last turn onto the street, Lilia stopped and put a hand on Yuuri’s shoulder. “Yakov never believed in easing people into things. He would have been the type of parent whose idea of swimming lessons was throwing the kid into the deep end. You’ll be overwhelmed today. That’s okay. Don’t give up after one day.”

“Thank you.” It wasn’t that easy, but Yuuri very much appreciated the blunt words. He appreciated them even more as he and Lilia turned the corner and saw the reporters outside the rink. “I should’ve known.”

“Chin up, shoulders straight. Hold yourself like a dancer. Don't let them see weakness.” Yuuri obeyed, and Lilia led him to the rink.

The reporters were distracted by Lilia. Yuuri, they had expected, but Lilia was a surprise. Yuuri didn’t stick around to watch the interview, instead disappearing into the rink. Other than Yakov, Yuuri was the first one there, so he took a seat to wait for the others.

Viktor was the last to arrive, scooting in only a minute or two before Yakov had told them to be there. “Sorry, Yuuri. I tried to be here early, but the reporters…”

“It’s okay. At least you’re on time. What did they want to know?”

“Oh, the usual. Plans for the off-season, what I thought about my new rinkmate – I had a bit of fun with that one, pretending to misunderstand and talking about Mila!” The girl in question looked up at the sound of her name, and Viktor gave her a bright smile. “Not to worry, I said nice things!”

Yakov and Lilia came in then, and Yuuri fell silent along with everyone else. “Those of you who have been here may remember Lilia Baranovskaya. For those who are new and haven’t met her yet, she is a retired prima ballerina with the Bolshoi Ballet, and has graciously agreed to resume ballet lessons for anyone who she feels would benefit from them. She has also agreed to talk to you about choreography, once you have ideas for your routines for next season. All right. Everyone on the ice. Get yourselves warmed up.”

Lilia hadn’t been joking about Yakov not believing in gradual introductions. Within the first two hours of training at the rink, he’d worked harder than he ever had at home. Yakov had exploded at Viktor for showing off, Georgi for not paying attention to where he was going so that he collided with Yuuri, and someone on the phone about the people camped outside his rink.

During the break, Mila skated over to Yuuri. “Hi!”

“Hello.”

“You okay?”

“It’s a lot different. It’s going to take me a while to get used to. My old coach never yelled at anyone but his son.”

Mila giggled. “Rumor has it Coach Yakov thinks of all his skaters as his sons. Or daughters. That’s why he yells so much.”

Shortly before lunch, Yakov summoned Yuuri off the ice. He’d seen other skaters summoned, and it looked like Yakov just wanted to talk to them, but he couldn’t help being nervous. “What is it, Coach?”

“Planning the off-season. Right now, when you’re not working on programs, what are you going to do?”

Yuuri thought for a moment. “What I need most is to work on my jumps. I need to get my triples to be consistent.”

“Yes. You do. When he gets back, I’d like you to work with Misha. He’s one of the best jumpers I’ve ever trained. For now, work with Vitya. He can help you with the jumps, and you can help him with his steps. He’s got a bad habit of getting too focused on the technical parts of his programs.”

“Yes, Coach.”

“Just promise me one thing.”

“Yes, Coach?”

“Try not to get too distracted. More importantly, and much harder – try to keep Viktor from getting too distracted.”

Yuuri tried to suppress the smile. “I’ll do my best.”

“Good. Lilia’s taking you and Mila and anyone else who wants to come try this afternoon, so if there’s anything in particular you want to get done before lunch, I would suggest focusing on that. Also, start thinking about what you want to do next season. It’s never too early for ideas.”

“Have you heard Viktor’s?”

Yakov nodded. “This time, he actually seems to have put some thought into it, so I’m going to let him run with it for a while. The worst that happens is I have to make him start over and try again.”

Lilia wasn’t any easier on the skaters than Yakov was. In her case, there wasn’t shouting, just cold remarks. Yuuri could shut those out easily enough, as long as they weren’t directed at him. When Lilia dismissed, she let each skater know whether she thought they were wasting their time.

Viktor found Yuuri and gave him a hug. “You did good today! Are you okay?”

“I’m a little overwhelmed.”

“Well, soon, you and Mila will have some time off from being in the zoo for school.”

“That’s good.”

“For you, I guess. I always hated it. I’m very glad to be done.” Viktor looked critically at Yuuri. “How are you feeling?”

“Still overwhelmed. Why?”

“Kirill invited everyone over for dinner, but if you don’t feel up to going, that’s fine.”

“Honestly, I just want to stay here. It wasn’t the work, that was fine, it was just draining. I think I’ll get used to it, but I’m not going to be much fun these first couple weeks. If you want to go, go on.”

“No, I’d rather stay with you. You promised to teach me how to play Call of Duty, remember?”

Yuuri laughed. “Yeah, I remember. Be prepared to die. A lot.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanted to use Assassin's Creed, but unfortunately, that didn't come out until November 2007.
> 
> If you don't remember, Viktor is very excited about creating a ninja-themed routine.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri survives to the first day off. Viktor makes a potentially life-changing discovery.

The first week was exhausting. Yakov had Mila and Yuuri set up with their tutor after a few days. Yuuri had never cared much about school, except for a few subjects, but now he found the time he spent in tutoring refreshing. Viktor helped him do his homework – translation: Viktor brought Yuuri tea or water and prodded him to take breaks every so often. The one thing he was very helpful with was Russian.

Their first day off, Viktor took Yuuri down to the shore. “It’s way too cold to stay long, but I always liked coming out here when I needed to think about things.”

Yuuri looked out over the water. “You must not have come very often.”

“I… hey!” Viktor turned a mock-offended glare on Yuuri. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means that you don’t think things through very often, and you know it. What are you thinking about now?”

“Right now, I’m thinking about showing you my city, and after the chaos of the rink, I thought you might like it out here.”

Yuuri looked out over the water again, listening to the gulls. “You know, it reminds me a little of home. Whenever I needed to think about something, I’d either try to exhaust myself skating or dancing, or go sit on the beach.”

“Hasetsu would be much warmer, though.”

Yuuri pulled his coat a little tighter around himself. “Yeah. The cold’s gonna take some adjusting to. Kinda scared to see what it’s like in January!”

From the beach, Viktor took Yuuri sightseeing – which, in addition to the normal sightseeing destinations, also included stops such as “This bakery has the best muffins in Russia. Yes, you can have one, what Yakov doesn’t know won’t hurt him, we’re walking it off today!”, “This street corner is where I nearly died when I was six. I’d run away from Mama because I saw a dog I wanted to pet, and nearly got hit by a driver who was on his phone.”, and “I have no idea what’s in this building but I spotted a couple reporters and thought we should hide before they spotted us.” That building turned out to be a women’s clothing store. With a little help from Viktor on translating sizes, Yuuri found a shirt to give Mari for her birthday. Just in case they were caught.

They did end up getting caught when they stopped for dinner. Their waitress was a fan of Viktor, which started a rush for autographs, which only ended after what seemed to Yuuri like the entire restaurant had come over. Several of them asked for Yuuri’s autograph, too, to Viktor’s delight and Yuuri’s confusion. By the time their shchi arrived, Yuuri was afraid his hand would cramp up.

“This is why I don’t usually eat out,” Viktor whispered when the last of the crowd disappeared. “At least, not in St. Petersburg. Delivery and cooking are so much easier.”

“You can cook?”

Viktor burst into laughter. “I can cook. I also do the dishes and clean the bathroom and tidy up after myself – although I must admit, I avoid vacuuming. Makkachin hates it, she gets so scared. I don’t know why the press insists on portraying me as a useless pampered prince. Do you really think Yakov would put up with that?”

“When you put it that way…” Yuuri smiled. Even if Viktor’s parents had spoiled him, Yakov wouldn’t. “I should have realized.”

“You’ve known Press Me for much longer than Real Me. I wouldn’t say I’m a very good cook. Certainly nothing like your mom.”

“I can’t believe I used to like Press You so much. Real You is so much better. Less glitter, more human.”

Viktor's beautiful heart smile came out. “It’s fun to be Press Me for a little while, but I would hate to be him all the time. He’s the kind of guy who’d get so caught up in the glamour and the lights that he’d forget everything else. Neglect life and love. Both very important.”

They were interrupted by an alert from Viktor’s phone – a text from Chris. Viktor stared at it in confusion for a moment. “What’s Facebook?”

“It’s, uh… it’s like MySpace, I think? Why?” Yuuri had his phone out ready to ask Mari before he remembered that she was probably asleep by now. A pang of homesickness hit him.

“Chris says there are pictures of us on a… Facebook page? For my fan club?”

“We’ll look it up later. Does Chris say if they’re good or bad?”

“No, just that they exist.”

After dinner, Yuuri and Viktor went back to Lilia’s, where they used Yuuri’s laptop to look up Facebook. They found the page for Viktor’s fan club, and the pictures. The pictures themselves weren’t bad at all – a picture of them sitting on the beach that morning, and at dinner. Yuuri hated that one, as he was making a funny face in reaction to a bite of cabbage that had been hotter than expected. The comments were the problem. Most of them were okay, but then a flame war erupted between Yuuri’s haters and… “What’s Viktuuri?” Viktor asked.

“Um…” Yuuri reddened as he tried to figure out how to explain. “Sometimes, with TV shows or stuff, when people ship two characters they’ll give them a ship name. So like Viktor + Yuuri, Viktuuri.”

“Oh. That’s okay, then!” Yuuri’s blush deepened, and he couldn’t answer. Viktor looked through the rest of the page. “Should I sign up? Say something to them?”

“No!” Yuuri could already see it was too late, Viktor had already started creating his account, but he had to try. “You’re so ridiculous…”

“Why ridiculous? It’s my fanclub! If they’re truly my fans, then they should like you, too!”

Yuuri buried his face in his pillow. This was not going to end well.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Planning for the next season.

Viktor’s post on Facebook kicked up a bit of a shitstorm, but it settled quickly, and Yuuri was distracted by school, skating, and dance practice. On Yakov’s advice to expand his dance range, Yuuri had signed up for ballroom dancing lessons, and to his surprise, Viktor hadn’t. The classes were taught in Russian, which had Yuuri nervous, but luckily the girl he ended up partnered with spoke English and could translate for him if he couldn’t figure it out just by watching.

At practice one day, Yakov started calling skaters out one at a time for another chat. Like before, it didn’t look like anything bad, just checking in on things, so Yuuri tried not to be too nervous when his turn came. “Have you given any thought to what you want to skate next season?”

So he wasn’t in trouble yet. He probably would be soon. “A little, not much though. Minako always chose my music for me. Viktor’s told me it’s different here, but that doesn’t mean I know how to decide what I want. I’m working on it.”

Yakov didn’t look surprised. “Don’t take too long. Feel free to ask Viktor for help, seeing as he’s already settled and has music and costumes in mind already. If it works better for you, find your music first and then figure out the theme from there. Have you decided on a choreographer?”

“I’m planning to ask Lilia, once I have something for her to work with.”

“Do you feel like you’re making good progress with your jumps?”

“Yes. I’ve been taking advantage of working with Viktor to get the flip consistent. I almost never fall anymore, and I’m clean more often than not. I’m not neglecting the others, and they’ve all gotten better.”

Yakov nodded. “Good. Misha should be able to help you firm things up. You’ll feel confident putting triples in your routines?”

“Yes. Maybe not the Lutz, but the rest of them, I should be good.”

“Okay. Keep working on it, we’ll talk again in a couple weeks.” Yakov sent Yuuri back to the ice.

Yuuri struggled with his jumps afterwards. Viktor came over to him after he fell on a triple toe loop. “Are you okay?”

Yuuri picked himself up and brushed ice off his pants. “Just distracted. I know he didn’t mean right this second, but Yakov wants me to put some serious thought into coming up with a theme, and now I can’t think about anything else.”

“Okay. Let’s find something less likely to hurt you for you to not be concentrating on. Help me figure out a good step sequence for being a ninja!” Yuuri giggled at the ridiculousness of it, but Viktor was right, he wasn’t likely to hurt himself like this.

Through ballet practice, Yuuri still had themes on his mind. Lilia tutted a little disappointedly at him, but he avoided the cutting remarks others were getting. He was still distracted at dinner, and instead of working on his homework, he found himself thinking about themes.

He woke up at 3 am and started writing. It was brilliant. Minako could help him find appropriate music, but he scribbled a few thoughts anyway for songs he found on Google. Sure, a lot of people used “Shall We Skate?”, but it could be fun. It was different from his usual orchestral ballet music, too.

Yakov and Viktor kept looking at Yuuri funny the next day, as he tried to stifle the yawning. “Yuuri, are you okay?” Viktor asked during a break. “You look tired.”

Yuuri yawned and stretched his back. “I am tired. I didn’t sleep much last night. I’ll tell you about it over dinner, I want to run it by Minako first.”

“Oh? Can you give me a hint?”

“Nope. Yakov wants us back on the ice.” Yuuri finished his water and ran off, laughing softly to himself as he left Viktor pouting.

Minako loved Yuuri’s idea, and promised to help him find a good free skate song. Viktor was almost literally bouncing as Yuuri and Lilia got dinner on the table, and as soon as Yuuri sat down, Viktor couldn’t hold back. “What had you so tired today, Yuuri?”

“I had an idea for my theme. New directions. Since, you know… that’s kind of been my life the past few months. Minako’s helping me pick music. Lilia, will you do my choreography?”

“Of course. Let me know when you have your music chosen.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri has a bad day, so Viktor lets him in on The Vacation Plan.

Yakov liked Yuuri’s idea as well. Minako had music for him a couple days later – “Shall We Skate”, from The King and the Skater, and “Land of Ice”, music from a movie about Russian exploration of Siberia. Lilia had several programs to choreograph in addition to Yuuri’s, so it would be a while before she had the routines ready. Short programs were ready by the end of April.

Yuuri was incredibly nervous as he watched Lilia demonstrate. It was very different from Minako’s choreography, much more difficult-looking, and he wasn’t sure he could do it. “That’s what you have Yakov for. He’s confident that you can,” Lilia scolded.

“I’ll do my best,” Yuuri promised. “Thank you.”

With programs to work on, practice became more focused, more intense. Yuuri struggled a bit to keep up. One day in mid-May, after a rough day of practice, Yuuri got online to look up some things for school. On a break, he went by Viktor’s fanclub’s Facebook page and found an article about himself and Viktor. His Russian had improved after a month and a half in the country, not enough to fully read the article but enough that he could pick out that the general point. This one was horrible, accusing Yuuri of snaring Viktor using ancient Chinese magic.

Viktor had already seen it. He’d commented on it, dismissing it as ridiculous – Yuuri wasn’t even Chinese, for God’s sake. Most of the other comments were supportive as well, but there were a few questioning whether Viktor was actually Viktor or someone impersonating him. One went as far as suggesting that it was Yuuri posing as Viktor.

Viktor popped in and saw Yuuri’s face. “What’s wrong?”

Yuuri shoved the laptop away from him. “Bad day compounded by Internet trolls.”

“Ah. You saw the idiot reporter who can’t even be bothered to get your nationality right?” Viktor sat down beside Yuuri and put an arm around him. “He’s stupid. Don’t worry about him.”

“It’s not…" Yuuri sighed and turned the laptop toward Viktor. "One of the comments suggested that I’m running your Facebook account.”

“What?” Viktor looked at Yuuri’s screen. “That’s ridiculous. Why would you make an account under my name instead of your own?”

“Because the real Viktor wouldn’t be this defensive of some kid he barely knows. According to… Anna, anyway.”

“She doesn’t know either of us. I'm surprised she considers herself my fan and doesn't know that I absolutely would. That’s one of the things I talked about a lot in interviews the last couple of years, how much I was looking forward to meeting my soulmate and how certain I was that whoever it was would be amazing!”

Yuuri bit his lip. He wasn't sure he lived up to Viktor's expectations, despite Viktor's constant reassurances. “I know, Vitya. And you’ve been running Facebook as Press Viktor, so it’s not like you’d say anything on there that you wouldn’t in interviews.”

“So why should they be accusing you of running it? They’re dumb.” Viktor gave Yuuri a quick squeeze. “How are you doing, other than that? You were struggling at practice today, I noticed.”

“It’s… I’m a little homesick, I guess.” Yuuri’s eyes got wide as he realized how that probably sounded. “Not that I’m saying I want to go home! I don’t! I want to be here.” He tried to figure out how to explain. “In Hasetsu, if there were a part of my program I was struggling with, I could go to the Ice Castle after hours and work on it on my own until I got it.”

“Nishigori mentioned something about that. There’s no way Yakov would agree to let you use the rink by yourself – too much danger of you getting hurt and not being able to tell someone in a reasonable amount of time – but if I go with you, maybe it could work?” He glanced at his phone. “It’s too late to go tonight, but we can talk to him tomorrow.”

“Maybe…” Yuuri wasn’t sure. It wasn’t like the Ice Castle anyway, but it would be nice to have quiet skate time again.

“Also, I had an idea about vacation! I know it bothered you that I decided not to take one.”

The sudden topic change threw Yuuri. “What’s changed? People are still going to talk, and…”

Viktor grinned at him. “Even the worst of the Internet trolls can’t possibly believe I would do anything to you while we’re at your parents’ onsen. Last time I was there, I was in intense training for Europeans. What would you say about a couple weeks in Hasetsu?”

“Honestly? That sounds a little like running away.” Yuuri leaned in to Viktor’s shoulder. “It also sounds like heaven.”

Viktor laughed at that. “I thought it might. I already ran this by Yakov. As long as we tell him we’re going and are back before Grand Prix assignments, he says we can go any time between now and then.”

“When do you want to go?”

Viktor shrugged. “Is there anything special going on in the next month or so?”

Yuuri shook his head. “No holidays, no festivals… if we go in June the ocean should be warm enough for swimming.”

“Okay then! Early June? I’ll find flights and get the paperwork together. Will you let your parents know we’re coming?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> >.>


	9. Chapter 9

Having the trip to look forward to gave Yuuri a bit more confidence, and he settled in and worked hard between deciding to go and actually going. Lilia had his free skate ready just before they left, and recorded videos from several angles that Yuuri could use to practice in Hasetsu. 

The last day of practice, Yakov pulled Yuuri off the ice for another conference. After some instructions for practice – part of which was “This is meant to be a vacation, I’m not expecting you to be on the ice or in the studio nearly as much as usual” – and a reminder to keep up with his tutor’s schedule, he had one more thing. “If you have trouble, call me immediately. I don’t care about the time difference, I need to know right away. By trouble, I mean anything that I might get calls from reporters about, injuries, Viktor being an idiot.”

Yuuri nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“I mean it. I know your parents are there, but I need to know, too.”

“I know. I’ll contact you if there’s anything wrong. Viktor will be there, too, so you should hear from both of us.”

“If Viktor’s the problem, tell me. I know he hasn’t been a problem yet, but if he is.”

“You don’t trust Viktor?” That shocked Yuuri. What did Yakov know that Yuuri didn’t?

Yakov shook his head. “I trust him to mean well, but he’s impulsive and he gets carried away easily. I’m not expecting trouble. I just wanted to make sure you knew that if there is trouble, I’m not going to let Viktor off easily just because he’s been with me for so long.”

Yuuri sighed in relief. “Oh. Thank you. I appreciate that.”

“For now, Viktor has some sense. When you get older… I don’t know. Knowing Vitya, I’m half expecting your first kiss to be on international TV.”

“Would he actually…?” Yuuri cut off. Viktor probably would. That was a very embarrassing thought. “I’ll let you know.”

“Speaking of when you’re older. You’ve been here two months. How are you feeling about things?”

Yuuri took a moment to think. “It’s different. I’m still adjusting to the controlled chaos, and I don’t think I’ll ever not have a surge of nerves when you call me out to talk about things. I’m struggling with the language and culture differences. I miss my family and Yuuko and Takeshi. I’ve improved more in the last two months than any two months back home. I’m not having to deal with my classmates – there’s Mila, but she’s nice to me. Viktor’s here. Right now, I’m leaning towards staying, but we haven’t really gotten into the stressful part of the season.”

“Good. So far, that’s my evaluation, too.”

 

Mari came to meet them at the airport. “Yuuko wanted to come too, but her parents didn’t want her to miss school. She said to tell you that if you don’t go tell her everything tonight, she’s going to tell Nishigori not to let you use the rink.”

Yuuri smiled. “I think Yakov would kill us. Am I supposed to bring Viktor?”

“She didn’t say.” Mari stared down Viktor. “I’ll keep him busy while you’re with Yuuko unless you hear otherwise.”

Viktor actually looked nervous on the train ride home, which made Yuuri smile. He was pretty sure Mari wasn’t going to be awful, but she was enjoying making Viktor squirm, and it would probably be good for him anyway.

Yuuri didn’t stay to settle in. Instead, he dropped his bags in his room and ran down the road to Yuuko’s house. Takeshi was over getting help with his physics homework, which he was all too happy to set aside when he heard Yuuko’s excited shriek.

“Hi guys. It’s good to see you.”

Yuuko pulled Yuuri’s hand until he joined them at the table they were working at. “How’s it going in Russia? Is Viktor really running the Viktor Nikiforov Facebook page? Where is Viktor, anyway? Is Yakov helping you a lot? Do you have routines yet? Is it true that you’re living with Yakov’s ex-wife? What’s it like having a tutor instead of going to normal school? Or are you on summer break? Does Russia do summer break?” Yuuko stopped finally, having run out of breath before running out of questions.

“It’s difficult, sometimes. I miss you guys. The other people at the rink have taken me in as one of them, but Viktor’s the closest one to my age, so I don’t really have friends. The tutor’s great, although I’m having to do a lot of the figuring things out on my own because she’s busy with Mila. Yakov’s been good to me, although it’s a lot different from Nishigori. Like with school, he basically tells me what to work on and then sends me to figure it out. We all kind of help each other – Misha figured out why I was having so much trouble landing the triple flip and triple Lutz, I’ve gotten a lot better. Viktor actually let me create the step sequence for his free skate! You know he’s doing his own choreography this year?”

Yuuko clapped her hands. “Wow! You helped Viktor do part of his program? That’s amazing, Yuuri!”

“They keep saying how good I am with step sequences. Yakov, Viktor, everyone at the rink. I don’t think I’m as good as they think I am, but I don’t mind helping.”

“Yuuri, you know Dad and Minako always told you that you’re better than you think you are,” Takeshi said. “Maybe try to believe it now that it’s coming from Yakov Feltsman? If anyone’s a judge of ability, it’s him.”

“I’m trying, it’s just hard when I watch the videos and see how many mistakes I still make. The first time I got the full Yakov ‘did you forget your arms are supposed to be adding to your choreography, not flailing like a drowning swimmer’ experience, he very nearly ended up sending me to the tutor early. I’ve gotten better at handling it, although I’m not to the point Viktor is. A couple days ago Yakov told Viktor he wanted to see his spins look like a trained skater instead of a merry-go-round, and Viktor told him that he was a ninja and Yakov shouldn’t see him spin at all. I thought Yakov was going to have a stroke.”

Yuuko and Takeshi both laughed at that. “How’s Viktor treating you? Do I need to go over there and have a word with him?” Takeshi asked.

“Mari’s doing that right now, I think.” More laughter. Yuuri shifted to a slightly more comfortable position. “Viktor’s been great. That Facebook page, that’s really him, and he’s always there when I need him. This trip to Hasetsu, this was his idea, because I felt bad that he wasn’t getting to go on vacation like everyone else. He’s so different when the cameras are off. More… more like a real person, you know? He’s teaching me to cook Russian food. Lots of beets and cabbage.”

“Viktor can cook?”

Yuuri grinned. “That was my reaction, too! It’s so weird, I… I never really thought of him as a person who did normal person things, I guess. He’s such a baby about blood! His own, someone else’s, doesn’t matter. He freaks out and runs away if he can get away with it.”

Yuuri stayed and talked with Yuuko and Takeshi for a couple hours. When he got back, Viktor was waiting up for him. “Are your friends going to come save you from the dreaded cold, harsh Russia?”

“Not yet. Was Mari bad?”

“Mari was fine. She actually meant putting me to work doing some chores that had piled up over the last couple of weeks. I think it was a test to see if I knew how to do real work.”

“And by piled up you mean she deliberately let slide so she’d have an excuse?”

Viktor looked a little too shocked for Yuuri to take it seriously. “I would never accuse your sister of such a deceptive thing!”

“That’s what you have me for. I’ll accuse her of a lot worse if she deserves it.” Yuuri yawned, the exhaustion from the travel catching up with him after having been held at bay by seeing his friends. "I'm going to bed. You should too."


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why did Viktor and Yuuri ever think they were allowed to have nice things?

For the first couple of days, things were quiet. Viktor and Yuuri played on the beach, helped at the onsen, and went back to the ninja museum because Viktor claimed he needed to refresh his inspiration for his program.

They went into Fukuoka on their third day there. When they got home, Mari met them at the train station. “Your coach called looking for you. He said he’s been trying to call you both and you weren’t answering.”

Viktor smiled ruefully. “I forgot to charge my phone last night. It died a couple hours into our trip.”

Yuuri pulled out his phone. He remembered now – he’d turned it off when they went into a temple, and forgot to turn it back on. “Oh no. He’s going to be mad.” There were several voicemails, not all from Yakov. He played his coach’s voicemails on speaker so that Viktor could hear too.

Message 1: “Yuuri, have you seen this article about you and Viktor? If you haven’t, go read it, call me back.”

Message 2: “Did Viktor forget to charge his phone? I can’t reach him.”

Message 3: “Yuuri, call me. Immediately.”

Message 4: screaming in Russian that Yuuri couldn’t understand.

Viktor flinched. “I’m not translating that. The point is he’s angry. The kind of angry that even I take seriously. I wonder what happened?”

Yuuri’s hands shook as he called Yakov back. He was greeted with more Russian screaming. Once Yakov paused for breath, Yuuri started apologizing. “I turned my phone off and forgot to turn it back on. I haven’t seen the article yet. What’s happened?”

“There’s two now. The first one is saying that Viktor realized that you weren’t his soulmate so he took you back home and is going to go find his real soulmate.”

“But I am his real soulmate,” Yuuri protested.

“That’s not the point! It has quotes from Viktor!”

Yuuri couldn't move, couldn't speak. This wasn't possible. Was it? Viktor took Yuuri’s phone from him. “Quotes?”

“Yes! Quotes! Words they are putting in your mouth!" Yuuri finally managed to snap out of it. "I’ve already contacted both Russia and Japan’s skating federations so they can look at legal options, but in the meantime, it’s out there. You’ll need to talk to the lawyers after you read the article, so you can figure out how to disclaim the article.”

Viktor and Yuuri stared at each other, stunned. Viktor finally broke the silence. “We’ll do that right away, Yakov. What’s the second article?”

“This one’s not really bad, just a little unusual. The two of you were spotted going into a temple today, and the article is claiming you got married.”

Yuuri did his best impression of a tomato, but Viktor just laughed. “No. At least that one’s funny. We did go to a temple, but as tourists, not to get married.”

“All right. We’ll… see what happens after you’ve talked to the lawyers. Vitya, learn to charge your damn phone like a grownup. Yuuri… whatever happened to your phone, try not to do it again? At least not at the same time Vitya’s ignoring me too?”

“Yes, coach. I’m very sorry.” They said their goodbyes, and Yuuri ended the call. “Sorry you had to hear that, Mari. Thanks for letting us know before that happened at home and everyone got to hear…”

Mari glared at them. “You both know that if you sneak off and get married, Mom will kill you both, right?”

“Not if Yakov beats her to it!” Viktor said.

Yuuri groaned. “No, she would. She’d go dig up some 'ancient Chinese magic' to bring us back to life and kill us again.” If Mari was commenting on the alleged wedding, that meant she didn't believe the bad one either. That helped a lot.

 

Having been prepared by Yakov to see it, the article didn’t upset Yuuri nearly as much as it would have if he’d seen it on his own. He knew for sure that Viktor wasn’t the kind of asshole who would talk about how Yuuri had betrayed him, taken advantage of his romantic nature, and ruined his chance at meeting his real soulmate at least until she reached eighteen. Viktor was right there, arms around him, getting more and more furious the more they read.

Viktor glanced at his phone. “It’s probably too late to call the Japanese lawyers, but the Russian ones will be at work for some time yet. Shall we?”

“Might as well get it over with.” Yuuri sighed. “The sooner we get our side of the story out, the sooner we can forget this and go back to vacation. This was supposed to be a break from anxiety!”

“Are you okay?”

“No. I’m pissed off. We’ve been letting them talk, but this time, they lied – and they’re trying to ruin our vacation on top of that! I know it probably wouldn’t stop the rumors, but should we go get tested?”

Viktor sighed. “We’ll probably have to. If this ends up in court, it helps prove our case. You’re not worried that you’ll find out I somehow faked it?”

“Not at all. I know you’re not exactly the same person as Press You, but I can’t imagine you’re so different from him that you’d mess with your soul bond. And, well, maybe you’re that good an actor, but it doesn’t explain me.”

The phone call to the lawyers quickly became a conference call with the Russian and Japanese lawyers, Yakov, Minako, and Yuuri’s parents. After several hours, they had their response ready. Viktor and Yuuri wrote a joint statement stating that the quotes and information in the article were completely false and demanding a retraction and apology, with the promise of legal action for libel and defamation of character if the demand was not met within two days. The statement was sent to the publisher of the article, and both the statement and a similar version without the demand for retraction were sent to Yadama and a Russian reporter Viktor and Yakov respected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blame this one on Shiori_Makiba. Something they said in a comment wouldn't stop shouting at me, and this happened. (Thanks Shiori_Makiba!)


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After surviving the storm, it's time to start making plans for the fall.

The website that had run the article not only had a retraction and apology up the next day, Viktor and Yuuri were notified that the person who had written the story had been fired for “lack of journalistic ethics”. The Viktuuri fandom rallied together, starting their own fanclub page to defend both Viktor and Yuuri, along with their relationship. The brown poodle mascot made sense. The hamster one, less so, and no one could quite explain how that happened.

The rest of their vacation passed reasonably smoothly. They were attacked for autographs and selfies a couple times when they went to Fukuoka, but other than that, it was peaceful. When they landed back in Russia, both Viktor and Yuuri were relaxed and ready to hit the ice. Minako and Lilia met them at the airport to drive them home.

The first day back, Yuuri showed Lilia and Yakov the free skate he’d put a little work into over vacation. He was surprised at how much easier it felt than it had looked. Yakov, of course, had a lot of criticism, but overall, both he and Lilia were satisfied that Yuuri hadn’t gotten lazy on vacation. Viktor got yelled at a little, which Viktor blew off as Yakov’s way of saying he’d missed Viktor.

At the end of June, Yakov summoned everyone off the ice. “Assignments are out.”

All the skaters got off the ice as quickly as they could, settling down and actually managing to be quiet and attentive. Yuuri had never seen the group so quiet.

“Starting with seniors… Misha, you’ve got Skate America. You’ll need to be ready quickly. Cao Bin will be there too, and I’ve never known a Chinese skater to not be prepared for a fight. Then you’ve got the Cup of Russia. Vitya, you’re in the Cup of China and…” Yakov shook his head. “Congratulations. You got the NHK.”

Everyone laughed as Viktor started cheering. “Don’t get so excited, it’s not like Sendai is anywhere close to Hasetsu, Vitya,” Yuuri said. “As close as it is to Finals, I can’t imagine you’d be able to take the time off to visit, either.”

“I can if I don’t make Finals!” Viktor winked at Yuuri, but Yakov looked like he was about to explode. “Yakov. I’m not going to blow my events just to visit Hasetsu.”

“You’d better not. Cao Bin’s there, too, so you’ll need to work hard.”

Something occurred to Yuuri. “Wait a minute. Japan’s Junior Nationals is in Sendai this year, right before the NHK Trophy. I should be competing there.”

Yakov looked up from his notes. “Right before?”

“November 24th and 25th, the NHK starts on the 29th.”

“Hmm. Something to think about, anyway.” Yakov checked the assignments again. “In the Junior Grand Prix, you've got the Harghita Cup in Romania, doesn’t look too bad as far as competition but it’s an early one, and I don’t recognize all these names. And then Pokal der Blauen Schwerter in Germany. Christophe Giacometti is expected to win that. I’d like to see you take it from him.”

“I’ll do my best!”

“After that it’s Grand Prix Finals, where I’ll be focused on whoever makes it, and then it’s time to think about Nationals. I expect you all – except Yuuri, of course – to be competing there.”

“Coach?” Yakov nodded for Yuuri to continue. “In Japan, if you do well enough in Junior Nationals, you can get invited to Seniors. That’s at the end of December.”

“Interesting. You think you can do it?”

Yuuri swallowed his nerves. “Yes, I do. I was fifth last year, two of the people who beat me moved up, and I’m much better now than I was.”

“Well, then. Stay behind a moment, there’s something we should talk about. The rest of you, get back to practice.” Most of the others headed out, but Viktor stayed right beside Yuuri. “Vitya… actually, fine. You should probably hear this too.”

That wasn’t helping with Yuuri’s nerves. “What is it, Coach?”

“I’m looking at dates, and I think we need to make a change in our arrangement.”

Almost ready to panic, Yuuri looked over at Viktor, who reached over to squeeze his hand reassuringly. “Why?”

“You’re supposed to make your decision at the end of August, but your first competition is at the beginning of September. Less than a week from the start of competition is no time to be changing coaches, if that’s the direction you want to go. It might mean starting school late, but I think you should stay here through the Harghita Cup no matter what decision you make. That also gives you an actual chance to see what competing with me would be like.”

Yuuri closed his eyes and let out the breath he’d been holding. “I’d probably start late anyway, because of travel for the Harghita Cup. That sounds like a smart idea.”

“All right. Get back to work. Both of you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> None of the dates or locations for competitions are made up. I don't know WHY they did both NHK and Junior Nationals in Sendai, as that doesn't seem to be normal, but they did.
> 
> Also, at the real 2007/2008 Japan Junior Nationals, Yuzuru Hanyu won bronze. He was not invited to compete in the senior competition on account of being a 12 year old competing in the novice division. That guy is freakin' awesome.
> 
> I'm not sure what the rules for automatic qualification (instead of going through qualifiers like Yuuri had to do on the show) are. Therefore I'm resorting to a handwave of "Yuuri's currently ranked 3rd in Juniors, therefore he gets automatically invited."
> 
> There will likely not be another update until Monday, on account of GARTH BROOKS TOMORROW.


	12. Chapter 12

July got… warm. Not hot. But warm. Yuuri missed home again as he thought of the ocean he could be playing in. Not that he had time to play in the ocean! Not if he was going to back up his claims to Yakov. Not if he was going to put himself on the podium at Junior Nationals and get the invitation to Seniors. Not if he was going to live up to Viktor’s expectations and earn himself a place at the Junior Grand Prix Finals.

Today was supposed to be a day off. He didn’t have anything scheduled with Yakov or Lilia, just instructions to stretch and relax. He’d gone for a run when he woke up, gone through the exercises Minako had taught him to maintain flexibility, and then tried to figure out what to do with himself. Viktor had a photoshoot, so Yuuri had spent the rest of the morning working on his schoolwork. By the time he’d completed everything his tutor had assigned – plus a little reading ahead, just in case – his head was swimming and when he closed his eyes Cyrillic letters floated through his vision.

He started a game of Civilization, hoping for one more turn syndrome, but instead his nerves started getting to him. Civilization was not going to help him earn medals. No one cared how well he could play Peter the Great and lead Russia from a tribe of nomads to a spacefaring world-ruling empire. He needed to be doing something useful.

When the anxiety finally overtook the need for one more turn, Yuuri shut down the game and loaded up videos. His jumps had improved, but he was still only landing the triple Lutz in his free skate one out of four or five attempts. He couldn’t do anything on the ice, but maybe he could watch the videos and see if he could spot something that he could fix. He found videos of Viktor and Misha to use for comparison, and then got lost in watching Viktor skate.

Eventually, even watching video wasn’t enough to calm him. He needed to go do… something. He couldn’t go to the rink right now, but as far as he knew, no one was in Lilia’s studio. He quickly changed into his dance clothes and headed downstairs. The studio wasn’t quite empty – Minako was in there – but that was close enough. Minako understood why he was there, and let him work through his nerves without comment.

Viktor came in late, looking for Yuuri. “That photoshoot took forever! It didn’t help that I refused to work with a couple of the assistants, because they made comments about you.”

“It doesn’t matter what they say about me.” Yuuri came to a stop and grabbed a towel to wipe away the sweat before hugging Viktor.

Viktor hugged back. “Thinking like that is how things got to where we had to bring in lawyers. Never again.” He looked at Yuuri. “Weren’t you off today?”

“I was, but I needed to work. My anxiety’s flaring up, and skating and dancing are pretty much the only things that help.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing! I mean, the same things as always. I told Yakov I expected to make it to the senior Nationals, what if I fail? What if I can’t…”

“Yuuri.” Viktor hugged him again. “I know it doesn’t help much, but I’m going to say it anyway. You can. Lilia wouldn’t have choreographed programs she didn’t believe you could do, and Yakov would have made you change them if he didn’t believe in you.”

“I know. Everyone believes in me, and I’m scared to let them down. Yakov, Lilia, you, Minako, everyone back in Hasetsu, even our fan club. You’ve done so much, sacrificed a lot to give me this opportunity, and I don’t want you all to think it was for nothing or that I wasted it.”

“Have you become a better skater since coming here?”

“Of course I have! I’ve learned so much here, or I thought I had… do you not think I’m…”

Viktor shushed Yuuri. “I was leading up to a point, not questioning your progress.” He waited a moment while Yuuri calmed himself. “If you’re a better skater, then it’s not a waste of the opportunity or for nothing. We’d all love to see that progress reflected in amazing scores and medals and invitations to the highest-level competitions, but if that doesn’t happen? That’s okay.”

“Oh. That… I’ll try to think about it like that. Thank you.” Yuuri pulled away from Viktor. “Do you have anything else to do today?”

“I was supposed to have a costume fitting, but the photoshoot ran so long that I had to cancel. What did you have in mind?”

“Call of Duty. Maybe I’ll be more distracted from my nerves if you’re there with me.”

Viktor laughed. “Let’s go.”


	13. Chapter 13

It never did get what Yuuri would consider hot in St. Petersburg. There were bad days, of course, but as the end of August came and went, Yuuri found himself looking forward to his competition, at least as much as he was nervous for it. Thinking back to the quiet practices at the Ice Castle, Yuuri occasionally felt the longing for home and quiet, but he’d developed coping strategies for the worst of things. As long as he made up the time later, Yakov never minded Yuuri leaving to find a quiet place to stretch or condition or dance or do schoolwork when the atmosphere got too heated. Yakov had learned to respect Yuuri’s work ethic. He wasn’t so fond of Yuuri’s habit of running to Viktor for a hug when he needed one, but he tolerated it as well as he tolerated his other skaters’ eccentricities. Compared to talking back or showing up late or having to be told several times an hour to put the phone away and skate, the occasional hug wasn’t bad at all.

There was a bit of a discussion as the time for travel approached. Viktor wanted to go with Yuuri. Yakov didn’t want to bring him. Viktor argued that he could help Yuuri with his anxiety and keep him calm before performing. Yakov argued that Viktor had his own performances to be working on. Yuuri eventually settled the argument by asking Viktor to stay. “You can’t always come. This one, yes, you could, but you can’t always. I need to do this one alone.”

Viktor pouted, but he accepted it. “Fine. I’ll stay. But I’m going to the airport with you, and I’ll be there when you come back.”

“Good.” Yuuri hugged Viktor quickly. “It’s only one hour time difference, so it won’t be hard to talk. You’ll be able to watch if you can find a stream. It’s only a few days.”

“But it’s a very important few days,” Viktor whined. “You’re competing for the first time this season!”

For the first time – possibly the only time – with Yakov. Yuuri had adapted to the climate, he’d adjusted to Yakov’s harsh style, but that didn’t mean it was the best choice for him. Yuuri wanted to promise Viktor that there would be other chances, but he couldn’t. He and Yakov hadn’t talked about things since Assignment Day, when Yakov extended the trial period to cover this competition. Yuuri had no idea what Yakov thought about things. Yakov accepted his adaptations, but that didn’t mean he thought Yuuri belonged in an environment where he needed them.

 

They didn’t talk about it on the way out. Instead, Yakov ran down a scouting report of what he knew of the skaters he’d be competing against and their coaches. “Never count out the Americans – Paul Chen is coached by Celestino Cialdini, one of the best coaches out there. You’d know better about the other Japanese skater than I would. What do you think of him?”

“I was a little surprised to see him on the list – he finished twelfth at Junior Nationals last year. I guess there were enough people moving up or having to withdraw.” Yuuri only knew this because he’d looked it up after seeing the unfamiliar name. “I don’t know how he’s improved, but at Nationals, he was worse at jumps than I was and his performance score was bad.”

“Hmm. Both Russian skaters, you should be able to beat easily as long as you can keep a grip on your nerves. As far as I can see, the person I’m most worried about beating you is you. Things happen, some of these skaters may have had even more impressive off-season improvements than you did, one of them might have a brilliantly inspired day, but I like your chances.”

Yuuri swallowed hard. Yakov meant that well. What Yuuri got from it was pressure. He’d never been the favorite before. He’d never been known before. The press would be looking for him, and he didn’t have Viktor with him to hide behind.

The press was there when they got to the hotel. Yakov went to check in, and Yuuri found himself in front of cameras and microphones and a crowd. The questions started out bland – was he excited to be in his first Grand Prix, how did he think he’d do, was there anyone in particular he was looking at as competition.

Then, of course, someone had to ask. “Where’s Viktor? As devoted to you as he’s been since you moved to Russia, it seems a little odd that he didn’t come.”

“Viktor has his own Grand Prix to prepare for, and the competition at his level is so much more intense. Coach Yakov thought it was best if he stayed behind so his training wouldn’t be interrupted, and I agreed.”

“So it’s not that he’s tired of being your soulmate?”

Yuuri did his best to force the bland smile to stay on his face. It was only semi-successful. “Of course not. If it were up to Viktor, he’d be here.”

“Will you be going with him to his competitions?”

Very good question. “That will depend on where I’m at in my training and what competitions I have coming up. I’ve loved watching Viktor skate for years, since well before I knew he was my soulmate, but I have to consider my own training as well.”

“What do you think of your joint fanclub? Are you upset because that sprang up before you had your own fanclub, like Viktor’s?”

“Our joint fanclub has been wonderful, and both Viktor and I appreciate their support of us both individually and as soulmates.”

“But wouldn’t you…”

Yakov came over to call Yuuri away then, sparing him the need to figure out how to say “please support me but don’t ever let me know you are so I don’t have to think about letting you down” in a press-friendly way. Yuuri was very grateful for that as he took his room key.

 

The first thing Yuuri did when he got to his room was to set up his laptop and Skype Viktor. “I miss you already.”

“I told you I should be there.”

“I’ve already been asked why you’re not.”

“I saw. You did well handling that.”

“Thanks. How are things back there? Did Mila miss me in class today?”

“She’s heartbroken. She wants you to come back soon.”

Yuuri chuckled as he started unpacking. Somehow, he thought Viktor might be projecting just a little. “Is Makkachin okay with Vicchan invading her territory? Lilia said she’d look after him.”

Viktor turned the camera to where the two poodles were sleeping piled together. “I don’t think Makkachin would let Lilia take Vicchan away. Do dogs have soulmates?”

“I don’t know, but next time someone starts saying we’re not soulmates, maybe we should tell them our dogs are. That should convince everyone, right?”

"Maybe not, but it would certainly be funny!"


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short program! Yuuri nearly dies after he skates.

Practice was not as smooth as Yuuri would have liked, but he didn’t make any huge mistakes and he didn’t run into trouble. Yakov was pleasantly surprised to find that Yuuri was perfectly happy to stay at the hotel instead of running out to explore the city by himself. “Viktor was always a handful that way.”

“If Viktor were here, I’d probably go out,” Yuuri admitted. “I don’t want to go on my own. Maybe it’s hiding, but if I stay in my room, I’m less likely to run into reporters or fans.”

“You’re also less likely to get yourself into trouble. If you need anything or want me to go somewhere with you, let me know, otherwise I’ll see you in the morning.”

Yuuri spent most of the evening on Skype with Viktor, listening to stories of rinkmates and dogs and Russia. Viktor was scandalized by Yuuri’s plan of spending the whole time at the hotel. “I’m not that interesting! Go see the city!”

Yuuri didn’t take the advice. Room service provided a perfectly good dinner. Viktor told him to check out the Viktuuri fan club page – lots of fans had left encouragement for the competition. The rest of the Internet wasn’t so nice. There was one lovely article about how tomorrow would prove that Yuuri wasn’t good enough for Viktor, and Viktor knew it. Even there, though, there were comments supporting Yuuri.

Yuuri didn’t sleep well, and Yakov noticed at practice. “Is this normal for you?”

“Normal, yes. It’s not good and I know it, but I’m used to it.”

“Hmm. You might want to look into medicine – not as an everyday thing, just to help you sleep before competitions. Take it a couple times on a normal day before your next competition so you can see how you react, though.”

“You think that’s what I should do?”

“You need to sleep. I haven’t noticed you showing up to practice exhausted on a regular basis, so I think you normally sleep just fine.”

“Most of the time, I have no trouble falling asleep. It’s just the nerves getting to me. I can’t sleep and I overeat.”

“I don’t know a way to stop you from getting nervous, which means you need to treat the symptom. It’s something for you to consider. Come on, you need lunch.”

 

Yuuri was in the second group for the short program. Yakov let him watch the first group, commenting on strengths and weaknesses of the other skaters. Yuuri kept an eye on the scores – so far, only one person had put up a score better than 50, which was the benchmark Yuuri had set for himself. Viktor thought he could break 55, but Yuuri wasn’t so sure.

Yuuri was third in his group. Yakov and Yuuri were silent as they walked out to the ice. “Any last-minute advice, Coach?” Yuuri asked as he waited for the sweepers to collect the flowers and stuffed animals.

“This is your chance to show the loudmouths who say you’re not good enough for Viktor just how wrong they are. If you’re worried about letting down your supporters, concentrate on shutting up the haters.”

Yuuri nodded. “I’ll do my best.”

“All anyone can ask.”

Yuuri’s program started with a bang – his double axel was nearly perfect. His combination spin was a bit shaky, but Yuuri’s first step sequence was flawless. It flowed almost immediately into a double loop out of a spiral. His final jump was a triple flip-triple toe loop combination. He finished with his second step sequence – end on a strength.

When he came off the ice, Yakov immediately started telling Yuuri all the things he’d done wrong. Yuuri was shocked – he thought he’d done rather well, but Yakov seemed to have a lot to say. Yuuri couldn’t look when the score went up. He buried his face in the stuffed poodle he’d grabbed until the cheers started. Viktor had been right. It was only by a little, but his score was over 55. For now, Yuuri was in first.

Yakov clapped his shoulder. “You did well, Yuuri. Go get changed.”

Once everyone had finished, Yuuri was in third place. The reporters were eager to talk to him. It started badly – “Do you think Viktor’s disappointed you didn’t place higher?”

Yakov answered before Yuuri could even start to stammer something out. “Viktor knows better. Yuuri did as well as we could have asked, and is in a strong position going into tomorrow’s Free Skate.”

“So you’re satisfied with how he did today?”

“Absolutely. I’m very pleased.” Yuuri could hardly keep the shock off his face. He’d made so many mistakes! How could Yakov be so… happy?

The reporters seemed a little confused as well. “Do you think Viktor would agree?”

“If you want to know what Viktor is thinking, I would suggest you ask him. As he’s not here, move on. Next question.”

The reporters didn’t seem to have much else to ask, so Yakov took Yuuri back to the hotel. “Go call Viktor. If those reporters scared you, ask Viktor what he thinks of how you did. Meet me down here at seven for dinner.”

“Yes, Coach.” That gave him about an hour to finish cleaning up and talk to Viktor.

Viktor picked up immediately and nearly blinded Yuuri with his smile. “Yuuri! I told you you could do it! I wish I could be there to hug you!”

“So you’re not disappointed that I’m third?" Viktor shook his head, still smiling huge. "That’s pretty much all the reporters wanted to talk about.”

“I saw! Our fanclub is going nuts finding the most creative things to call them for trying to tear you down like that.”

“Yakov…”

Viktor laughed. “I forgot to warn you, didn’t I. Yakov is a firm believer in no time like the present to talk about what you need to do better on for next time. ‘While it’s still fresh in your mind and you still feel it in your body, Vitya.’ If he says you did well, then he means it.”

The knot in Yuuri’s chest loosened. “That would have been helpful to know before I nearly died of shame at how poorly I did!”

“I’m sorry! I’ll make it up to you somehow, I promise.”

Viktor was surprised that Yakov was taking Yuuri out to dinner. Yuuri was surprised to find they’d have company – Celestino and his skater Paul. Celestino was very curious about Yuuri, and Yakov encouraged Paul to talk about his training and life in Detroit. Paul was hesitant to talk about training at first, but Celestino encouraged him as well.

After dinner, Yakov noticed Yuuri’s concern. “Don’t read too much into this, Yuuri. This was all about letting you make as informed a decision as you can, not an indication of what I’m thinking.”

Yuuri nodded, but he didn’t entirely believe it, and Viktor was a little quieter than usual after Yuuri told him about dinner. “Yakov’s not one to say things he doesn’t mean, but I don’t like it. I know this isn’t going to do much good, but try not to worry. Go out there tomorrow and make your statement.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why a double axel instead of a triple? Because the rules specifically said “double axel” at the time.
> 
> I looked at the results of the actual Cup for score ranges. In the short program, only 5 skaters broke 50 and only 2 broke 55. (Adam Rippon got 64.61. Unsurprisingly, he went on to win.) 
> 
> Denis Ten was at this one. Shame Otabek’s too young to compete.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Free skate!

Yuuri had hoped that the exhaustion of not having slept well the night before would make it easier to sleep, but it didn’t. He stayed awake late into the night, running through everything that had happened and trying to guess what Yakov was thinking. Even if Yakov said Yuuri couldn’t stay, Yuuri was sure that it wasn’t a judgment of him as a person. It was his skating and his stupid anxiety. Yuuri certainly couldn’t blame him, and Celestino seemed to be a bit calmer and Yuuri already spoke English well enough to get by.

Yakov was not pleased to see Yuuri was still tired, but he didn’t say anything as he guided Yuuri through the crowds. He helped Yuuri zip up the white and green costume and do his makeup. “Have you ever thought about contacts?”

“No… I’m used to not being able to see. I can see well enough to know if I’m getting too close to the wall, and it helps me stay calm if I can’t see the crowd or the judges during a competition.” Yuuri put his glasses back on.

Yakov nodded. “Makes sense. How are you feeling about your routine?”

“The routine is good. Lilia did a great job with the choreography and there’s nothing in there I can’t do if I do my best. It’s me that’s the problem.” Between the exhaustion and the pressure of everything that was riding on this skate, Yuuri was sure he wouldn't do the best he could.

“You’re in a good position. If Paul does as well today as he did yesterday, he’ll probably beat you, but that’s okay.” Paul was in first, with Yulian Sobolevsky in second and Yuuri in third. “Sobolevsky will probably drop. He’s great for two and a half minutes, but he wears out easily and struggles with the second half of a free skate. Silver in your first Grand Prix event is something to be extremely proud of.”

“I have to get that silver first." Yuuri tugged at his costume to make it sit a little better. "Viktor’s convinced I can get above 110. What do you think?”

“I think that Viktor’s probably right.”

“I’ve never even been above 100 before!”

“Do you think last year, even at Nationals, you were capable of the routine you’re doing today?”

Yuuri shook his head. Yakov knew perfectly well what the answer to that question was. “N-no. I could have tried, but I’d have fallen on at least two of the triples or messed up combinations.”

“Last week in practice, you hit every single jump. Don’t judge your potential for this year based on your past scores. Your personal best is 97.47, correct?”

“That sounds right.” It surprised Yuuri a little that Yakov knew that off the top of his head. Yuuri would've been able to say 'somewhere around 97 or 98.'

“You should be able to beat that easily, even with a fall. You’re better. You’ve improved a lot since you came to me in April. No matter what happens, I am very proud of you.”

Yuuri felt the heat in his face and hugged Yakov in the hopes that he wouldn’t see how embarrassed he was. “Thank you. I’ll show everyone that I’ve put this opportunity to good use.”

 

Through the first group, Yuuri stayed away from the TVs and stretched. During the second group, he started paying attention again. No one broke 100, which started making Yuuri nervous about the judges being tough. Yakov didn’t have much to say about it as they walked out. “Yuuri. All anyone can ask is that you go out there and try your best. Don’t worry about the score or the places.”

Yuuri’s program started out well. His first two jumps were good, but he fell out of the double toe loop that ended a combination. Yuuri was used to falling, though, so he was able to get up and get back to it quickly. He recovered well with a layback spin, followed by his first step sequence. At Viktor’s suggestion, he’d saved his triple axel for the last jump – he had the stamina, and no one would expect it from a junior! It went very well, and when he reached his ending pose with his arm stretched out in front of him, Yuuri nearly collapsed. That fall was bothering him. It shouldn’t have happened.

Since he was expecting it, being greeted by Yakov’s lecture wasn’t nearly as shocking as it was for the short program. He got his glasses on just in time to see the score go up, and Yuuri stared in disbelief. He took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. The score was the same when he got his glasses back on. It was over 110, even with the fall.

Yakov was smiling. “Hopefully, this will give you a little faith in Viktor’s ability to predict what you can do. He was right, both times.”

Yakov had been right about Sobolevsky, who finished below Yuuri, and Paul, who took gold. Yuuri was in a state of shock as he looked at the silver medal around his neck. He’d done it. He was disappointed about the fall, but Paul's score was enough above his that it wasn’t likely that the fall cost him the gold.

Back at the hotel, Yakov walked Yuuri to his room. “If you want, we can talk now, but if you want to take some time to think, I expect Viktor would want to be here when we make the final decision about your training. It’s up to you.”

Yuuri got very still. It sounded like Yakov had made his decision. He could have the decision made today, if he wanted. It would be nice not to have that hanging over him. On the other hand, Viktor would want to be there, as would Minako. If they were present, then Yuuri wouldn't have to explain if he ended up leaving Russia. “Let’s wait until we get back. For Viktor.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When Yuuri went hug zombie after the Rostelecom Cup, did he hug Yakov? I know he got all the named skaters (except maybe Yurio), but I don't remember him hugging Yakov. The one person he was specifically instructed to hug if he needed anything, which would include a hug, I'm sure.
> 
> Layback spins are usually considered a ladies' move, similar to Yuri's Biellman, for the same general reason: the required flexibility (and in some cases men not wanting to do something associated with ladies). Yuuri's in a similar situation to Yuri here - trained in ballet and still having his childlike flexibility.
> 
> For the free skate, only three skaters broke 100, all of whom broke 110. Yuuri’s goals would give him 150, good enough for 3rd, and Viktor’s goals would give him 165, which would also put him in 3rd (but close enough to 2nd that I said to heck with it). Fun story: when I was figuring out Yuuri's program, I thought I was making it too easy so I calculated the base value and made up some GOE… the original program was actually way too *hard*. On base value alone he’d have kicked everyone’s butt. Whoops.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yakov, Yuuri, Minako, and Viktor sit down to decide Yuuri's future.

The exhibition was fun. Yuuri did an old program of Viktor’s that he and Yuuko had imitated together, much to the delight of the Viktuuri fan club. The press had been positive for the most part – Yuuri had done well, and his silver was a pleasant surprise to many. Yadama had sent congratulations and written an article about Japan’s rising star in which Viktor was barely mentioned.

Viktor’s response to the silver medal had been effusive. He’d literally hugged his computer because he couldn’t hug Yuuri. He was also very grateful to hear that they wouldn’t make the decision without him.

Yuuri's flight got in late. Viktor was there at the airport to meet them, and Yuuri ran straight into his arms. “I missed you.”

“I’m so proud of you, Yuuri! The first of many medals in your career!” Viktor kept an arm around Yuuri as they went to get their bags. Flashes warned Yuuri that people were taking pictures. “Don’t worry about it. We can’t win. If we’re not affectionate enough you’re not my soulmate, if we’re too affectionate then I’m a predator, we might as well just do whatever we feel like doing.”

Yakov dropped Yuuri off at Lilia’s house. “Sleep in if you like, Yuuri, you earned a day off. Come to the rink when you’re awake and we’ll figure out what happens next.”

“Thank you, Coach. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me since I came here.” Yuuri got out of the car and bowed to Yakov.

Viktor got out of the car as well. Yakov rolled his eyes, but didn’t try to argue. “Be at the rink on time, Vitya.”

“I always am!” Viktor waved as Yakov drove away and then turned to Yuuri. “I know that when I get back from trips, the first thing I want to do is see Makkachin, so I brought the dogs over.”

The dogs were very happy to see Yuuri, and he felt a million times better after hugging them. He still hadn’t slept well since before the competition, so he crashed almost right away with Vicchan and Makkachin on the bed with him and Viktor sleeping on the floor in his room. Viktor was gone when he woke up, and he was surprised to see that it was nearly 10:00. Even with Yakov’s permission, he felt incredibly lazy.

Yakov didn’t look bothered by the tardiness when Minako and Yuuri got to the rink. Instead, he whistled Misha over and told him to keep an eye on Mila, and called Viktor over to join the conference. They went back to Yakov’s office to talk.

Yakov cleared his throat. “Yuuri, all else being equal, I think you would be better off with Celestino.”

“But…” Viktor interrupted.

“Vitya. Let me talk.” Viktor sat back, but he didn’t stop pouting. “Celestino is an excellent coach, and he’s calmer. If you decide you want to go with Celestino, I will help you fill out the paperwork that needs to be done and wish you well. The thing is, it’s not equal. I think Russia and I have things to offer you that Celestino can’t. For one, Viktor’s here.”

“Soulmate or not, I don’t like you making this decision based on another person, Yuuri,” Minako said. “I know you and Viktor are already very close, but if things go wrong between you…”

“Then he can switch to Celestino or another coach at that time.” Yakov looked back to Yuuri. “Celestino doesn’t have a dance instructor who can match Lilia, either. There’s also something to be said for the fact that you’re already here, and moving to a third country in less than a year could be too much, too fast. Then there’s the press. If you leave, I’m sure you can imagine how that would look.”

“Like I failed so badly at being Viktor’s soulmate that he kicked me out of the country,” Yuuri agreed. "They can't blame it on my skating, so it'll have to be Viktor. I know."

“The headache of dealing with the press just might be enough to make dealing with my rink the better option. You've been here, you've got some coping strategies, and you can refine or replace them as needed. I’m not going to make the choice for you, Yuuri. If you think you’re better off with Celestino, or back home, then do what’s right for you. I hope you choose to stay.” Yakov glanced over at Viktor. “I’ll admit that part of that is selfish. If you decide to go to America, I’m not sure how long I could hold Viktor here. Celestino's no fool, he'd be glad to take Viktor.”

Yuuri could feel his breath starting to shallow, and he reached for Viktor’s hand. Viktor got the hint and moved his chair to where he could get an arm around Yuuri. “Breathe, Yuuri. Yakov’s right. You should make this decision based on what’s right for you.”

Yuuri took a couple deep breaths. Between that and Viktor, he calmed quickly. “I made my decision in Romania. My only question coming in here is if Yakov would let me stay.”

A ghost of a smile crossed Yakov's face, replaced quickly by a stern expression. “I do have one condition, although it’s more directed at Viktor than you.”

Yuuri froze. Conditions probably weren’t good. “Uh-oh. What’s that?”

“The hugs I can deal with. I do not need to start seeing other things happening on the ice.”

Yuuri burst into laughter, as did Minako and Viktor. “That’s it? I can stay, as long as Vitya can control himself?”

“You make that sound much easier than it is. It’s Vitya." Yakov had a point, Yuuri had to admit. Viktor was not exactly the best at self-control or restraint. "I’m counting on you to be a good influence on him.”

“I'll do my best.”

“I’m also going to recommend that you talk to someone. A counselor or therapist or something. You’re strong. A lot stronger than I’d initially given you credit for. You’re also being asked to deal with things that would make anyone struggle. I’m not going to make you talk to someone, it's not a condition for you to stay here, but I do think it would be good for you.”

Minako nodded. “He’s got a good point, Yuuri. When I go home, you’ll be alone in a foreign country. That in itself is hard. I know. I was fifteen when I left Japan to attend a dance school in France. I could have used the help. We dancers are just as competitive as skaters, if we want to make a career of it, so I know the pressure that adds. You'll have it harder than I did. I didn’t have to deal with the press or my soulmate.”

Yuuri blinked. It occurred to him that he’d never heard Minako speak of her soulmate. “What happened with your soulmate?”

“I’m one of the rare people who doesn’t have one. It’s why I’ve always been so invested in you and Mari.” Minako patted his shoulder. "Don't feel bad for me. I never wanted a soulmate. Even when I was young, I always said dance was my soulmate."

“Are you staying, then?” Yakov asked.

“I’m staying. I want to be here.”

“All right.” Yakov picked up a stack of papers. “Let’s work out contract details.”


	17. Chapter 17

It took a couple days before it really sunk in to Yuuri that he was in Russia for the foreseeable future. Then, as Misha helped him up after a fall in practice, it just struck him hard, and he hugged Misha. Misha hugged back, but he shouted to Viktor, “He started it!” Viktor just laughed and kept working on his skating.

When Yuuri took a break, Yakov approached him and handed him a letter. “This arrived for you yesterday, after you’d left for ballet. Do you know anyone in Thailand?”

“No…” Yuuri looked at the return address, but it was in Thai writing. He started to open the envelope.

Yakov caught his hand. “I hope it’s just normal fanmail. If it’s not, if there’s anything harassing or threatening, let me know.”

“I will, Coach.” Yakov let go and Yuuri got the letter out.

_Dear Katsuki Yuuri,_

_I’m writing in English. I’m not very good yet. Please forgive mistakes._

_My name is Phichit Chulanont, and I’m eleven years old. I am from Bangkok, Thailand. I want to be a figure skater, like you. It’s hard to find coaches here. There aren’t very many people interested in figure skating. Most of them are girls. Someday, I want to show everyone in Thailand how fun figure skating is._

_I’m a fan of Viktor Nikiforov. When you started training with him, I watched your performance from your Nationals on YouTube. It was great. Now I’m a big fan of you, too. You’re a great skater and I want to be like you someday._

_I also saw your performance to “Shall We Skate” at the Harghita Cup. Did you know the movie that’s from is about Thailand? It’s not very popular here, but I love it. I want to skate a program to “Shall We Skate” when I’m older._

_I don’t know how much you care about social media. Some people say such mean things about you. I don’t know why. You don’t deserve any of it. I hope the people you skate with aren’t like them. I’m part of the Viktuuri Fan Club. I can’t find one that’s just for you. Do you have one? We try to tell the mean people to stop, but they don’t listen any more than the mean people at my school who call me a girl for skating._

_Your poodle is cute. Do you like hamsters? I have two hamsters. Their names are Viktor and Yuuri._

_Your fan (my teacher says I should put friend but fan makes more sense),_

_Phichit_

Yakov had stayed to make sure Yuuri was okay. Yuuri was confused. “He’s a fan. He named a hamster after me.” He held up a drawing of two hamsters.

“Good to hear. Get used to fanmail. You might want to develop form letters to send back – fans love to get answers, but it’s hard to have time to write back to each one personally.”

“I don’t think I’m that popular… this one just liked my music.” Yuuri reread the letter. “I’m not even popular enough to have my own fan club.”

“Well, that’s a problem. We should fix that!” Yuuri jumped. He’d been so distracted by the letter that he hadn’t heard Viktor approaching. “You’ve never gotten fan mail before?”

“No. Just the Viktuuri fan club leaving messages on Facebook. Why would someone send me a letter? Internationally at that? That’s expensive!”

Viktor took the letter and read it. “Because they like you! You’re famous now, you’re going to get more of those. From lots of places, I bet. Would have thought Japan first, but this is amazing!”

 

Even though both Viktor and Lilia had agreed with Yakov’s advice about form responses, Yuuri decided to respond to Phichit’s letter properly. After all, it was the first one. Before he did, he looked at the Viktuuri Facebook page to see if he could find Phichit. Now the hamster mascot made sense.

While he was there, he saw a post from Viktor asking the Viktuuri Fan Club to help get a Yuuri Katsuki Fan Club started. Yuuri would have posted that he didn’t need his own fan club, but it was far too late. Work had already started.

Yuuri didn’t see any Phichits on the page, but there was a Thongchai Chulanont from Thailand who posted frequently and had a hamster as a profile picture. Yuuri send a friend request and closed Facebook before he could second-guess himself. He wasn’t sure of the time difference with Bangkok, but it was probably late there.

He was halfway through his response when he heard his door open. Viktor stood there with a smirk. “Are you sure you don’t understand fanmail, Yuuri?”

Yuuri groaned in frustration as he gestured to the paper in front of him. “I’m sure. I’m having trouble figuring out what to say to Phichit. I’ve covered ‘I hope to compete against you someday,’ and ‘Don’t listen to the mean people about me or you. They’re wrong,’ and ‘Thank you for supporting me,’ but I don’t know what else to say.”

“Maybe talk about The King and the Skater, or why you picked ‘Shall We Skate’? I don’t know, I’m terrible at correspondence, which is why I have a form letter.” Viktor came in closer, hands behind his back. “You’re absolutely sure you don’t understand fanmail?”

“Oh god. What is it, Viktor?”

Viktor pulled a piece of paper from behind his back. “Dear Viktor, blah blah introductions, I’m a figure skater too. A lot of people here skate because there’s not much else to do in our town, but only my friend and I have ever tried to go to competitions. I was thinking about giving up after my first competition, but then my friend made me watch your performance at the Junior World Championships. You inspired me. I’m not going to quit until I’ve had the chance to skate on the same ice as you.”

Yuuri reached out and grabbed the paper from Viktor. Sure enough, it was his handwriting, and his signature at the bottom in English and kanji. “I wrote this two years ago! Why do you still have it? Why do you remember having it?”

“Most of it, I end up throwing away, but any time someone says they skate competitively I hold onto it. I go through it every year to see if any of them have made it big.” Viktor took the paper back and smoothed out the wrinkles from Yuuri’s rough handling. “I didn’t remember having it, I just was curious and looked through and there it was.”

“I’d forgotten I ever sent that! How embarrassing.”

“Once I saw it, I remembered, because I took a little extra care with responding. You mentioned you’d just gotten a poodle like mine, so I sent you Makkachin’s autograph along with the form letter.”

“Um…” Yuuri pointed to a spot on the wall over the foot of his bed. “That one?”

“Probably!" Viktor went to look closer. "You brought it to Russia?”

“You’re going to laugh.”

Viktor turned away, not even bothering to hide his grin. “Probably.”

“I swear Vicchan loves that thing. Sometimes when I get home, I catch him lying on my bed looking at it.”

“Oh, that’s so cute!” Viktor flopped on the floor beside Vicchan and started petting him. "I should bring Makkachin over here more often. She's so much happier after coming over."

"You're here all the time anyway, so yeah, you should. It's good to know our dogs get along. It'll make things so much easier when we live together."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone caught the hamster in the Viktuuri fan club... but I didn't see anyone catching the "Shall We Skate" setup. I love Phichit, and if Yuuri's not going to go train with Celestino, they need to become friends some other way.
> 
> I looked at the entries for this year’s Thai nationals. A lot of the levels had fairly long lists of girls/ladies. The boys’/mens’ lists? One or two, if there even was a list. All the Thai skaters on Wikipedia are women. I love Phichit even more now.
> 
> So, obviously, this is not The End. It does feel like a natural break between Part 2 and Part 3, so I'm doing that. Look for Part 3 to start soonish!

**Author's Note:**

> If you have suggestions for ships you'd like to see in this 'verse, let me know in the comments!
> 
> Already written: Otayuri, Leoji, Chris/Masumi, Milasara, Emimike  
> Already on the list: Seungchuchu, Minami/Otabek/Yuri, ChulaCometti, JJ/Isabella, OtaChu, Plinami, JJ/Seung Gil


End file.
